Consequences of the accident: Brazil’s president stable in hospital after a cerebral hemorrhage

According to his medical team, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is doing well in the hospital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. “The president has made good progress, he came out of the operation practically awake, was extubated (removal of the breathing tube) and is now stable, speaks normally, eats and should remain under observation for the next few days,” said doctor Roberto Kalil a press conference. According to the doctors, his neurological functions are preserved and no consequential damage is expected.

The 79-year-old was examined for headaches at the Sírio-Libanês Hospital in the capital Brasília on Monday evening. A magnetic resonance imaging revealed the cerebral hemorrhage, a result of his accident on October 19th. The president was then transferred to another unit at the same hospital in São Paulo, where he underwent a craniotomy (opening of the skull) to drain the hematoma. The operation went without incident.

Lula is expected to return to Brasília at the beginning of next week. On doctor’s orders, the head of state is not allowed to receive work visits in the hospital until he has fully recovered.

Lula suffered a cut on his head in October and therefore canceled his participation in the Brics summit in Kazan, Russia. The private Hospital Sírio-Libanês is considered one of the most renowned hospitals in Latin America. It was founded in 1965 by members of the Syrian-Lebanese community in São Paulo, hence the name.